Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 843: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will abolish part-time fees or phase them out over time to widen access to education; and if she will award financial supports to part-time students who are in need of assistance to upskill, retrain and advance career prospects. [14788/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have no plans at present to extend the free tuition fees schemes to include part-time students. Section 473A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides tax relief for eligible persons, at the standard rate of tax, for tuition fees paid in respect of approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including certain approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in EU member states and postgraduate courses in non-EU countries.

Tax relief for courses of at least two years' duration at undergraduate level extends to approved full or part-time courses in both private and publicly funded third level colleges in the State and any other EU member state and approved full or part-time courses operated by colleges in any EU member state providing distance education in the State.

In 2001, section 29 of the 2001 Finance Act amended the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to provide for the amalgamation of the then existing four tax reliefs for third level education fees. The section also extended the relief by removing the restrictions for repeat years, on individuals undertaking more than one course, on individuals already holding a third level qualification and the exclusion of certain courses in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and teacher training. The relief is also extended to postgraduate fees paid for third level education in private and publicly funded third level colleges in non-EU countries. Tax relief for undergraduate fees is also now available in EU countries for duly accredited private third level colleges. Tax relief on tuition fees is claimed directly from the tax office using an I.T. 31 form. Details of approved colleges and courses are also available on Revenue's internet site at www.revenue.ie.